Our favorite weddings to cater are for the couples that welcome us into their lives to become their friends, and then as their caterers.

Tommy & Rosanna were one such couple. They shared their vision and we listened. Then they let the chefs go crazy and create an amazing menu for them. Check out the Korean-style short ribs. This picture was shot as the plate went out to one of the guests. Isn’t it beautiful?

After the lovely ceremony at Venteux Vineyards, guests dined on fresh oysters, ahi tar tar & beef wellington bites paired with champagne. They then proceeded to taste wine & then enjoy the beautiful ambience created by Kramer Entertainment & Allure Events.
Thanks to Viera Photography for the beautiful photos & congrats to Tommy & Rosanna!

We had been meaning to post pictures sooner about Amber & Sean’s beautiful wedding we catered at Spanish oaks Ranch…but sometimes life just gets busy.

Today, we noticed that Style Me Pretty, a popular national wedding web site had featured their lovely wedding!
This wedding was all about rustic elegance from the setting, Spanish Oaks Ranch, to the flowers, the antiques, and of course, THE MENU!
Spanish Oaks Ranch is a lovely wedding venue between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles.
Amber & Sean were so great to work with. They were fun and laid back, and even came to a “back door” tasting at another event we were catering at Taft Ranch. I think seeing us in action and tasting the delicious oak-grilled tri tip sealed the deal for them.
Their menu was ideal for the venue…a little bit rustic but all delicious. Thanks to Ken Kienow for the amazing photos which are seen here and on Style Me Pretty.

Stationary Appetizers:
Farmers Market Antipasti Platter Including Grilled Vegetables, Italian Cured Meats, & Mixed Olives

Cheese Boards with Seasonal Berries, Almonds & Sliced Baguettes

Tray-Passed Crostinis:
Goat Cheese, Fig & Candied Pecans
Artichoke, Roasted Red Pepper & Fresh Mozzarella

Dinner:
Organic Mixed Greens with Candied Walnuts, Gorgonzola, Poached Pear & Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Herb-Marinated Tri-Tip with Fire-Roasted Chili & Orange Salsa Fresca

Herb-Marinated Grilled Chicken

Whipped Garlic Potatoes

Farmers Market Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

Fresh Baked Rolls with Local Honey Butter

Dessert Bar featuring cupcakes from Cassie’s Custom Cakes
Congrats to Amber & Sean! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day.

When we last posted photos from Leah & Neal’s fabulous wedding at Santa Margarita Ranch, we didn’t have access to all the photos that showcased the delicious food created that evening.
That’s because as caterers, we’re busy making sure the food is fresh, tasty and beautifully presented so we rarely make time for photos. Thank goodness for Cameron Ingalls, an amazing San Luis Obispo wedding photographer.
Leah, a food and wine writer, had a vision of local products from nearby farms to create an elegant dinner menu in the barn at Santa Margarita Ranch.

So, that’s what we made happen.

We visited our favorite farmers market at the Templeton Park and found awesome fava beans, purple baby artichokes, mixed greens, blackberries, and so on.

The fava beans were pureed, mixed with herbs, garlic, & truffle oil and then spread on crostinis made from Hush Harbor artisan breads.

For a more exotic appetizer, we paired duck confit with grilled sundried tomato polenta cakes, blackberries and herbed goat cheese.
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And to stay true to the classic hor dourves, we did a spread of charcuterie that included local artisan cheeses, sliced cured meats, duck sausage, and pates.

Guests also enjoyed local wines, beers handcrafted by the groom and a signature tray-passed cocktail of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, gin, simple syrup & candied grapefruit (made by the bride herself!)

Dinner was served “family-style” to keep with the couple’s vision of a large elegant dinner party. The menu was:
First course of two salads:
Roasted Fennel and Citrus Salad with a Tangerine Chervil Dressing
& Baby Arugula with Toasted Almonds, Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Second Course-Pasta:
Housemade Traditional Tortellini En Brodo
Third Course-Entrees:
Rack of Lamb with Lavender Salt, with Roasted New Potatoes & Braised Artichoke & Halibut en Papillote, Meyer Lemon, Fennel, Kalamata Compound Butter with Purple Baby Carrots & Seasonal Vegetables

We love our brides & grooms that make our job so fun. Thanks Leah & Neal for loving food as much as we do! To see the bride’s food and wine blog, please click here and for more details on the wedding, see the blog below!

We are honored today to be featured in a popular wedding blog for the modern bride!
Green Wedding Shoes features the recent wedding of Leah & Neal at Santa Margarita Ranch.
Leah, a food & wine writer, had a vision of creating a rustic dinner party with most of the meal served family-style. Guests dined on arugula salad with roasted red pepper vinaigrette, fennel & tangerine salad, tortellini en brodo, and rack of lamb and halibut served with sauteed baby artichokes & grilled farmers market vegetables.

Leah handpicked the wine that was paired with each course to give her guests the ultimate wine-pairing dinner experience. With the amazing ambience of Santa Margarita Ranch, it was an incomparable setting for a wedding reception.


Cameron Ingalls is responsible for the amazing photos and Emily Kelly took care of all the incredible details as the wedding planner.
Check out the write-up here!

We cater so many weddings each year in the wine country of San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles but some weddings are more memorable than others. Tommy & Rosanna’s wedding at Venteux Vineyards was one such wedding.

The couple walked down the aisle together holding hands and were so amazing to work with throughout the whole process. We are grateful they let us be a part of their big day.

Now, for the fun part–the menu! Guests dined on oysters & champagne shortly after the happy couple said “I Do.” Then the cocktail hour continued in the the winery tasting room where tray-passed mini beef wellingtons and ahi tar tar circulated.
Once it was time for dinner, guests dined on a salad of mixed greens with gorgonzola, Zinfandel-poached pear, candied pecan & pomegranate vinaigrette. Entrees included Kalbi-style short ribs and Kurabuta pork chop served with risotto cake & market fresh vegetables.

The couple asked for “rustic winery cuisine which incorporates Asian fusion” which is how the chefs came up with this amazing menu.

The awesome ambience in the Venteux Vineyards Barrel Room was created by Kramer Entertainment and Allure Events

Ahhh, the magic of Taft Ranch. We love working here. The creek, the rolling hills, the wild flowers, the majestic oaks, the pond, the barn, and the AMAZING chandeliers inside. It’s has everything anyone would want for that ideal rustic barn wedding in San Luis Obispo County. And it’s a great alternative to a winery wedding.

Last weekend, we catered a fundraiser for the North County’s Women Shelter here. A crowd of about 230 guests enjoyed classic barbecue dishes of spice-rubbed tri tip, ribs, all the fixin’s and of course, housemade corn bread and honey, butter.

Guests bid on silent auction items, gambled at the faux casino as thousands of dollars were raised for the shelter. After a plated salad of mixed greens, candied pecans, gorgonzola & pomegranate vinaigrette, guests enjoyed a BBQ buffet. Then, a plated dessert included a classic apple cobbler topped with fresh whipped cream with vanilla and cinnamon.

While we spend much of our time catering San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles weddings, we are always happy to give to back to our community and support a worthy cause.

Events like this can allow a bit more freedrom or creativity for our event coordinators and chefs. This last picture doesn’t do it justice but had fun with the barn theme, using buckets and mason jars to adorn the appetizer areas.

For Valentines Day, we were delighted to cater at Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo.

The theme, “Love Actually,” drew in droves of romantic couples from Shell Beach to Paso Robles looking to enjoy a five-course catered dinner at a winery.

Each course with paired with a different Edna Valley wine.
Among the favorites was the crispy rice cake with green onion, sweet potato and jalapeno paired with a crisp Pinot Gris. The entree of seared duck breast served with spatzel hash and roasted root vegetable was also a hit. Guests finished off the evening with chocolate-covered strawberries & a ganache-filled chocolate crepe.

Here are just a couple of photos from the event.

This is an annual event for us so please consider joining us next year!

Pacific Harvest Catering will be at Edna Valley Vineyard on February 13th catering a romantic four-course dinner.

The evening begins with spicy dungeness crab cakes and bleu cheese, caramelized shallot & pancetta tartlets paired with classic Edna Valley wines. That will be followed by a crispy rice cake with sweet potato puree, jalapenos and spicy pear chutney.

Next is a shrimp, scallop and crispy sand dab ragout, followed by seared duck breast served with spatzel hash and roasted root vegetables. Finish it off with a duo of chocolate crepe and a vanilla bean creme brulee.

Is there a better way to welcome Valentines Day 2010 than this? We didn’t think so.

So, this past weekend we were delighted to cater the annual Central Coast Scottish Society event at the Pavilion on the Lake in Atascadero. The Pavilion is an awesome North County event venue.
The event pays tribute to Robert Burns, and is filled with festivities that include parading one of our chefs around with a tray full of haggis. Don’t know what haggis is? (Traditional Scottish dish that is unappealing to some, although loved by many…) While many of our clients know us as Paso Robles wedding caterer, we love these annual events that are festive, unique and fun.
Here’s Chef Joey as he begins the Haggis Parade. Dinner includes "cock-a-leekie" soup and a choice of Grilled New York Steaks or Seared Salmon. A performance by Molly's Revenge was preceded by numerous performances of talented artists on the bag pipes. With a view of the lake and the green rolling hills, we nearly forgot we weren't in Scotland!

While many people get down when it rains, we at Pacific Harvest Catering get excited to go mushroom hunting! What better way to unwind from a big weekend in San Luis Obispo catering, than by hiking through local forests looking for glimpses of gold. Chanterelles are a delicious golden wild mushroom that are awesome in a variety of meals. The photo below is a great winter meal we created with them the night after finding them in an oak forest outside of San Luis Obispo.
This recipe for braised short ribs with chanterelles & potatoes is below. It’s an amazing winter recipe that takes just a few ingredients and a couple of hours in the oven. Enjoy!
(Sorry about the grainy photos, they’re from my phone…)

Braised short ribs with chanterelles & cubed potatoes

Braised Short Ribs with Chanterelles & Potatoes
4 short ribs
3 carrots, peeled & roughly chopped
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1.5 cups of red wine
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 potato, cubed & seasoned
2 chanterelles or wild mushrooms

Directions: Salt & pepper short ribs and sear in olive oil in a thick pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions and sear for another 10 minutes. Stir in garlic & 1/2 of a chopped mushroom and cook for a minute or so. Add wine, cover and turn to higher heat for about 5 to 10 minutes until it reduces a bit.
Add a cup of water, cover and braise in the oven for 3 to 4 hours on low heat.
For potatoes: cube, season & toss in olive oil and bake at 375-400 until golden brown.
When ready to serve, sautee remaining chanterelle pieces in garlic and butter. Strain the sauce out of the pot and serve over the short ribs & potatoes while discarding the cooked vegetables. Top with delicious buttery chanterelles! Enjoy.

Visit this blog for more seasonal recipes!